A Mighty Fall
by taylorandmacster10
Summary: The 21st district experience a worst case scenario: the Intelligence Unit is brutally and personally attacked. Each member is left to deal with the aftermath and must fight for themselves and their teammates. A whole lotta whump story.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1- There's A Storm Coming

 **Hello everyone! I'm back for more. Just a heads up, this story is entirely separate from A Night In November so, just pretend nothing tragic has ever happened. I actually came up with this idea while showering one morning. I was bouncing ideas off in my mind and this one really came together. Also note that despite the story lines in the actual show, I'm a Burzek and Upstead supporter so anticipate that. Let's unfold this one together.**

A storm was brewing. The skies were darkening by the second and the wind was picking up. Bystanders were clutching their coats while having umbrellas at the ready. Unseasonably warm temperatures had moved through the area the last couple of days and now a cold front was about to blow in, bringing more appropriate weather to the city. However, the threatening skies outside were a mere misting compared to the storm, or the war that was shaping up inside the walls of Chicago Med. Walk through the ER entrance doors and find the elevators. Go up two levels to the bunk rooms and find the room numbered two hundred four. Work your way into the bathroom and there you'll find Will Halstead, fully clothed, sitting under a flowing shower head. He sat with his back up against the wall and head looking up towards the shower head. His whole body was shaking. Adrenaline and fear racing through his veins. The shower wasn't his intended destination. Nor did he plan on climbing into it fully clothed. It was a escalation of events. Operating in a trance, he shuffled into this bathroom to remove his blood soaked garments and wash the blood off his hands, literally. However, when the sink didn't work, the obvious next step was to rinse off in the shower. He nixed all ideas of removing clothes first and just fell into a sitting position under a steamy head of water. The blood in question belongs to a cast of people: friends, adopted family, his brother. As the thunder sounded outside, the billowing of fear, grief, and even hate poured out of Will in the form of loud, audible tears. It was amazing how quickly things can change. While there have been a slew of dark, uncertain times in the life of Will Halstead, this evening qualified in the top five.

In the back of his mind, Will knew the risks Jay—and all police officers—took every time he put on that shield. Protecting a city comes with the occasional consequences. But that level of horror, evil doing, it's not something anyone can prepare for. It's something you see on the news or watch in a movie, but never anticipate it happening in real life. What just rolled through the ER doors was a worst case scenario. Will prayed that he'd weathered the brunt of the storm. By now the water had transitioned from searing hot to mildly warm. Will didn't really notice or care. He was too consumed with dark, dangerous thoughts running wild through his mind. He tried desperately to push them away. Thinking negatively wasn't going to help the situation. He buried his head deep into his knees and begged, pleaded for this all to be some terrible nightmare. A soft knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Will? Are you in there? Everyone is looking for you." It was Natalie Manning, Will's soon to be bride. Will didn't respond and so she proceed into the bathroom. She noted his outline through the shower curtain and decided to sit outside the tub.

"Lake Michigan called. They requested you turn the water off. Levels are reaching historic lows." That got a small, quiet laugh from Will. She knew how to bring life into a dire situation. Natalie pulled the curtain back and rested her head on the edge of the tub.

"I have a change of clothes here for you. Ones that are dry. I can help you if.."

"-No. I'm fine. I just needed somewhere to…process, embrace everything I guess." Natalie nodded and stood simultaneously with Will. He shut the water off and she handed him a towel. Will was soon left with his new set of clothes and thoughts. Questions of what and how this happened ran rampant. Will almost wished he hadn't woken up today. Perhaps none of this would've happened if he did something different. Came in late, chose a different type of coffee, something to alter the course of the day. But he quickly chased those notions away. He knew there was nothing he could've done to change the events of the last hour. Ferris Bueller was right, life does come at you pretty fast. He failed to mention the part where it all slows down to an agonizing crawl.

Will and Natalie rode the elevator to the private waiting room in silence. Will stared into nothing while Natalie held his hand and rubbed his back with her other arm. Both still in shock. Both not knowing what the next hours had in store. They opened the waiting room door to a visually shaken Trudy Platt who immediately leaped at the sight of Will, enveloping him in a warm, comforting hug. Dr. Charles and Maggie stood and waited for their moment with Will. Once seated, Will began asking the questions.

"What's the count?"

"One DOA, two stable and under observation, three stable and in recovery, and two are critical and still in surgery." Maggie hesitated on the last one. They all knew who was one of the two still under a surgeon's guiding hands. Will felt terrible only focusing on one person. An entire unit, no, family was in trouble this evening. Eight close knitted people woke up this morning not knowing they'd be fighting for their lives before the day's end. Never take a moment for granted.

"Do we know who did this?" Trudy just shook her head. Dr. Charles broke the silence.

"Will, I understand your desire to put a name or a face with this terrible tragedy but right now, let's focus on those who were affected by this. Those we can help. The police are at the scene and will provide us with answers as they become available." Then the ultimate question was raised.

"How could somebody do this? Especially to people who are in the business of helping, protecting?" Everyone turned their head towards Dr. Charles. Will knew the answer and most likely asked it out of anger.

"I can't give you a definitive answer to that. It's one of the great tragedies of this world: people harming and killing their fellow man. But that mindset isn't going to help right now. Your brother and his colleagues need our hope, strength, and support right now. They're the ones battling, not us. We're simply the cheerleaders on the sidelines. Let's let the police do their job while we do ours."

As the storm raged on outside, Will and the rest of the waiting party sat in silence; each preparing themselves for the next level of worst. No one knows how they'll act in a situation like this. Everyone assumes they'll be a pillar of strength and wisdom and nothing will knock them down. But when the times arises, the fight or flight gene kicks in. In that moment, you subconsciously decided whether you'll live up to your expectations or let circumstances swallow you whole. In this moment, Will didn't feel like a source of strength. It was hard to see the world as anything but evil right now. He wanted to slap himself awake from this night terror. Outside the door, you could hear hospital beds being pushed and doctors calling out orders. The occasional heart monitor would beep the sounds of a life willing to live. Audible reminders of the consequences of living in this troubled, fallen world; alerting Will that this episode was anything but a dream. Will couldn't help but admit how fitting the weather outside was for this moment. It was like a scene in a movie. Wind howling, rain plummeting down in sheets, and a group of people collectively readying themselves for battle. Despite the next steps being entirely unknown, hope still remained. Yes, the enemy had won this early round. But there was no way in any scenario that evil would simply walk away with the victory. Will rested his elbows on his knees and ran his hands slowly through his hair. Dr. Will Halstead in that moment went from being a player on the field to the loudest fan in the stands. _C'mon Jay. Don't quit on us yet._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2- Let's Start At The Beginning

 **You guys! I'm so happy that you're liking this story so far. I'm loving everyone's bets on the injury list and the DOA. Thank you for all the feedback thus far and I hope you like this next chapter as it answers some of the questions. This one is big and you're in for a ride. Away we go.**

 _Ten hours ago…_

"All right, suspect's name is Ray Burke, a suspected mob boss who's been linked to at least a dozen homicides and several major drug activities in the city. The FBI has been chasing this guy for years and thanks to Will, they finally have enough evidence to bring this guy in. This is a joint task force operation. We're running point on this but sharing information with the FBI along the way." Hank debriefed everyone while Adam taped pictures and intel on the whiteboard. Everyone else was at their usual briefing spot: sitting on their desk's tops.

"Yeah, Will is undercover as Ray's doctor. Ray asked Will to check on some medical issue and the FBI saw an opportunity to plant a bug in Ray's home. Will was successful and they were finally able to acquire vital information." Everyone was reading through their given case file while Jay informed them of Will's involvement.

"If this is the FBI's case, why are we running point," Atwater asked?

"Because we know the area better than them. Plus, getting Will involved got us involved. This mobster is running amok in our city, it should be us taking him down." That silenced everyone for a moment.

"According to the intel, Ray has two sons that appear to be key players in the operation and both live with Ray at the moment. The FBI learned that it's them who are the foot soldiers for Dad. With Ray's health, he basically controls the mob from his living room. Now the sons are out of the house a good portion of the day and Ray lays low for the most part. No evidence of a strong protection detail other then a couple of guards in a car outside the house. We've got an arrest warrant and we're going to do this by the book. If the case falls through, it won't be of our doing. Everyone suit up."

…

"I hate cases involving any kind of mob. Things can get messy and personal so quickly." The team was divided into four cars: Jay and Hailey, Adam and Atwater, Kim and Antonio, and Hank on his own. They were currently en route to Ray's location and for the most part, the ride was quiet. There was always tension before a big raid like this. So many moving pieces and uncertainties went into making an arrest. It was hard to not be slightly on edge. Hailey's comment broke the car's silence. Jay nodded and kept his eyes fixed on the road.

"Yeah, but it's all part of the job, right?! Let's try to not give them an opportunity to make things messy."

"We're attempting to bite the head of the operation off. The tail is sure to swing back at us." Jay slowly exhaled. She was right.

The unit pulled up to Ray's house at various points. Hank took the alley behind the house just in case someone ran. Adam and Atwater parked a block east of the location in an effort to take out the guards in the car. Antonio and Kim found a spot north of the house and elected to walk. Jay and Hailey were front and center of the location. Once Adam and Atwater gave the all clear, everyone was instructed to breach. The time between parking and Adam breaking the radio's silence felt like an eternity. Jay kept running scenarios through his head of how they could be taken out or had their cover blown. The whole time they waited, he couldn't ignore the hint of uneasiness in the back of his mind. Waiting was the worst.

"All clear guys. Guards are handled."

"Breach." Full tact gear was worn by all and long guns were selected. The unit moved methodically and calmly. Kim and Hailey taking the lead with Jay, Adam, Antonio, and Atwater on their flank. Hank remained in the car. Jay counted down and readied himself for a door kick.

"Chicago PD!" After a moment of absolute silence, Jay breached. They moved room by room, two people each. They made it to the kitchen before they saw the blip of a running person.

"Runner!" Kim and Hailey took off, one going through the back door while the other chose the front. Hank put his vehicle into drive and floored it. They chased the perp through the alley, turned right, and then down three blocks till Hailey tackled him. Her element of surprise playing in her favor. Once the perp was cuffed, she turned them over to reveal someone not named Ray Burke.

"Offender is in custody. It's not Ray guys. It's his son." She and Kim forced him upright and threw him in the back of Hank's car.

"10-4 guys. The house is clear. No sign of Ray," Adam replied.

"Something's not right about this," Jay added.

"It's no coincidence that he chose today to not be here."

"Jay, it's not the first time we've hit a house and the perp isn't here. It's all part of working the case." Jay brushed off Kevin's remark and went back to scouring for information. That hint of uneasiness had blossomed into a shouting voice in his head. He couldn't have been the only one seeing the warning signs. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Hailey hit the nail on the head. Mob dealings were messy and he couldn't help but see the writing on the wall. The ride back to the precinct was a carbon copy of the trip out here: silent and unsettling.

And Jay was right to suspect something to be off. What they didn't know at the time was that Ray found the bug Will had planted a few weeks ago. It took some digging, but Ray's crew was able to pinpoint where the device came from and who was on the other end listening. The son being arrested was just the first step in the destructive, devious plan.

…

It was mid-afternoon and business was running as usual for Trudy Platt. Patrolmen were coming in for their shift while others were attempting to sign out. So many questions about car assignment, partner complaints, and people shoving their way to the front desk, it was rare for her to not snap at someone.

"Ok, ok! You two, you're assigned to car eight nineteen. I don't care if you smell the ghost of farts past, it's this or I put you on foot patrol. You three know how to punch out, why are you still standing here. And you guys, grow a p.." She didn't get to finish because a warning shot rang outside the front doors and soon a fleet of masked, dark clothed men filed into the precinct. A nightmare was unfolding in front of her eyes and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

The pedestrians who were occupying the precinct screamed and fled, leaving the police officers in the district in a saloon style stick up with their enemy. The supposed leader of the pack marched straight towards Trudy and placed the firing end of his gun inches above her temple.

"Where are they?"

"Do..do you have idea what you've done? You just walked into a police precinct threatening to kill. Did you really think you'd getting out of here alive?!" The masked man didn't blink and repeated his original question.

"Where are they?"

"Be more specific." That one earned her a slap and another masked person to appear with an officer firmly gripped, gun pressing into their side.

"Tell us where they are or we start killing people one by one. You may get some of us, but look around, you're outnumbered. Trudy's eyes quickly darted across the room, the stairs, and outside the door. They were outmanned. Crap.

"I won't. And you can start with me." The leader let out a loud, sadistic laugh that made Trudy's blood boil with rage.

"Oh no, Trudy. You get to watch everyone in here fall before we turn to you." On that note, the person holding the officer hostage pressed his gun in closer, preparing to perform the shock and awe act, when the Intelligence Unit's gate chimed and the light turned green. In an instant, Trudy went from rage to horror. They had smooth sailing to their targets and there was no way she could warn them. She'd never felt more helpless, worthless in this world.

"Thank you for you help." She was awarded with another swift slap to her face except this time, it was the butt of a gun that met her skin. As she fought consciousness, she indicated the boom of a flash bang and the thud of bodies hitting the floor above her. After that, everything went dark, figuratively and literally.

The Intelligence Unit was divided between the break room, interrogation room, and Hank's office. The first indicator they received of something being wrong was four masked men racing up the stairs, flash bangs waved high in the air. Hank had a millisecond to react before the room turned white and fuzzy. He'd reached for his weapon but a sharp, piercing, white hot sting struck him in his right shoulder, causing his body to freeze and collapse, trying to process the trauma. He blinked away the pain only to be met by another dose of lead and pain. That one took him out of commission and he lay on the tile floor, just trying to focus on breathing and remaining conscious. Antonio joined Voight on the floor seconds later, grabbing for his shoulder and side before succumbing to the pain and blacking out. Meanwhile, Voight inhaled once before hearing the same event occur next door: a loud bang, guns firing, and thuds sounding. He counted five rounds going off before the group moved down the hall to the interrogation room. One of the five bullets must've hit a shooter because someone cursed and half a boot appeared in Voight's doorway. He smiled before finally allowing the welcoming darkness to take him.

…

The kid sitting across from Jay and Adam was anything but a child. He was a full grown, muscular, thirty year old man named Jimmy. Very original. After the unit arrived at the district, it was debated whether the cage or a room upstairs would scare him more. They all figured he'd expected the harsher option so a calmer environment might get him to open up. While he wasn't their intended target, he certainly qualified as a pawn that could be used to take out the king. Jay and Adam were in the room with the not-so-child to begin the talking process. The small amount of time they'd had with him was silent. They laid out everything they knew about this kid's life and all they got was an expressionless stare.

"Jim, can I call you that? We know about your father's dealings and we know your involvement. While we'd love nothing more than to lock you up for life, we're willing to give you a deal. It's your father were really after, not you. Don't spend the rest of your life paying for his bad decisions." Nothing. Jay was about to open the case file and reveal its' truths to Jimmy when the booms of the flash bangs caused he and Adam to jump. Nothing needed to be said or questioned. They both knew. Jimmy finally showed some emotion: a wide grin.

"Adam, shut him up. I've gotta…uuuggghhh! we need guns." Adrenaline was freely flowing at this point. Adam leapt across the table and attempted to put a thrashing Jimmy in a sleeper hold. By now the table had been kicked aside and the chair containing Jimmy was on its' side. Adam cemented his hand over Jimmy's mouth, screaming a moment later.

"Stupid SOB bit me!" Jay was sitting on the floor and slowly prying the door open, trying to get a vantage point before heading out. He ignored Adam's outcry.

"Shut him up." At his position, Jay took in the four gunman and witnessed one of them falling to the ground. One of his teammates put him there. Bravo, guys. While the unharmed gunmen assessed their friend, the time was ripe for Jay's taking. He slowly stepped away from the room and up the hallway. He was halfway to the locker with the stored guns when things drastically changed.

"I'm in here guys! Go down the hall I'm in here!" Jay froze. All blood was draining from his body and his extremities were quickly weakening. Eyes wide open. He was trapped. No weapon, no hiding spot. Easy prey for his predators. _Shit_. He chose cover over protection and bolted back for the room. The remaining gunmen striding to his location.

It was during the turning of the door handle when the first bullet struck. It entered the middle of his left side and exited out the front, causing a sudden hot wave of pain and weakness. Jay didn't need a doctor to confirm what he instantaneously knew: his predicament wasn't good. All energy he had migrated to assessing the damage and trying to not pass out. He'd managed to push the door open as he slid the ground, allowing Adam the opportunity to pull him in and slam the door. Shock and fear were starting to set in.

"Jay, man, cmon. Don't pass out. Just breathe," Adam repeated as he pulled Jay's shirt away from the wound. Blood was already spilling out. Adam flung his shirt off and attempted to press it to the hole in Jay's side. However, being the stubborn tough guy he is, Jay stood up.

"I'm good. We need to get this table up against the door."

Adam put it together a hair too late. The one thing neither man considered. He was half shocked Jay hadn't said anything. It was too obvious too late. It was as if time froze and Adam's vision panned out, revealing the next move. The giant square object sitting directly across from him. The advantage the attackers just gained: the two way mirror. Adam only made it to opening his mouth before a bullet met Jay's center mass and forced its' way through his chest cavity, resting somewhere in a chamber of his heart. Whatever battle Jay was already in became a hundred times worse. He was conscious and alert and then he wasn't. The worst case scenario just played out inches from Adam. He blinked and everything stopped. He didn't care what happened to him at this point. He'd most likely witnessed his friend and teammate die. It was one of those moments where you blink and you're suddenly sobbing.

Meanwhile, Jimmy had awoken from his nap and was screaming for his rescue party. Adam ignored everything and crawled to Jay's side, trying to feel for a pulse on his wrists. Jay's eyes were partially open and slowly blinking. His temperature was dropping rapidly and he was uncontrollably shivering. Blood was steadily pumping out of Jay and onto the floor under him. Adam noticed the tears forming in the corners of Jay's eyes. He'd managed to wipe one of the eyes before the door was flung open and he looked up to a masked figure firing at him. Adam was hit in the middle of his right side and left lung. His final thought was to fall on Jay, hoping that his dead body weight would place pressure on Jay's wounds. The world Adam knew faded into darkness. He hoped he'd get another chance to see the sun rise again. With their mission a great success, the gunmen turned to the final piece, the weakest link in the web.

"Thanks guys for getting me out of here. For a second there, I was wondering when you'd show up." Jimmy was released from his cuffs and stepped over the two detective's bodies. He and the gunmen maneuvered their way through the scene and were at the top of the steps when one of them turned to Jimmy.

"Did you tell them anything?"

"No, never. I'd never break for my old man. C'mon. Who do you think I am?!"

"Good." Jimmy was dropped with a bullet between his eyes. His body slumped halfway over the stairs. The remaining gunmen left their dead colleague, dying targets, and rejoined the rest of the group still holding the precinct at gunpoint. Without breaking their gait, the crew filed out of the building. The one holding the officer hostage dragged their victim to the front door before placing the promised bullet in the officer. The whole event lasted nine minutes and was executed with perfect precision. Nine minutes ago, life was running as normal. Nine minutes was all it took to turn lives in a dark, deadly direction.

Trudy Platt returned to the world as the SUVs' tires screeched away. Someone was standing over her and speaking, but she couldn't comprehend it. She brushed off hands trying to hold her down and wobbly stood.

"I don't need help. Get upstairs. Go! They're the ones in trouble, not me." Going against every fiber in her being, Trudy trudged up the stairs. This was her fortress, her territory and someone just had the gumption to storm the castle. She walked over the dead body at the top of the stairs and started shouting names in vain. It was obvious that responses weren't coming. She made it to Voight's office before letting out the first round of tears. There isn't an exercise or demo in the police academy that prepared you for the scene upstairs. There is nothing to prepare you to see friends and colleagues lying on a dirty tile floor in varying degrees of trouble. The stench of sulfur from the flash bangs and repulsive odor of blood made her want to vomit. Uncharacteristically, she wanted to turn around and lie on the piece of floor she woke up on. Upon finding Voight and Antonio, she dropped to the floor and lightly placed a hand on Voight. He jolted awake and grabbed her hand. She coaxed Hank to a calm level before repeating the process with Antonio. His reaction wasn't as drastic as Hank's and he was soon sitting up against a wall, totally in a trance. She then entered the break room to see Atwater holding his hand's over a wound on Kim's abdomen. Tears were dripping off Atwater's face while he yelled at Kim, telling her to not close her eyes. Trudy tried to examine the wound dripping blood on Kevin's arm and shoulder but he shook her off. Hailey was resting against the fridge, eyes glassed over with tears while clutching her side.

"Help is coming guys. What do you need me to do?!" Atwater ignored Platt. Hailey snapped out of her gaze to answer.

"Where are Adam and Jay?"

"I don't know, I'll go find out. You guys stay there!" Faint sounds of ambulances were sounding in the distant as Trudy made her way to the interrogation room. The air almost felt thicker the closer she got. Evil was residing back here and it honestly made Trudy's skin crawl. The officers she shooed up here were staggered between the doorway and the victims with differing amounts of pure, utter shock on their faces. There was clear evidence of a struggle. The thrown table and displaced chairs were proof of that. The hole in the two-way and the two bodies in the middle of the room were the final straw. Trudy made it about a foot before vomiting. As the paramedics pushed their way to the scene, Trudy brought her knees, arms and head to a point and heart-achingly sobbed for the impending loss she was convinced her district was about to endure.

…

Do you recall the episode of _ER_ where Carter and Lucy get stabbed on Valentines night and Dr. Benton is straddling between the two of them, mayhem happening all around? That's perhaps the best way to describe the chaos of the ED when Intelligence was brought in. Dispatch alerted Med of eight incoming traumas and merely gave brief descriptions ranging from stable to critical and needing to be directed to an OR. As the first ambulances rolled up and were being unloaded, the faces of the doctors and nurses were serious but a bit startled as they recognized the patients. Hank and Antonio were the first to arrive followed by Kim, Hailey, and Atwater. Jay and Adam were minutes out. Conner Rhodes was the only surgeon on the floor at the time and was the one directing traffic. Ethan was given an infuriated Voight while Natalie was assigned Antonio. Kim and Atwater were assigned to other doctors and their interns. It took Will milliseconds to figure out why he was held back from the action.

"Where's Jay?" Everyone was too consumed with their patients to answer Will's half question. Will stepped in front of Rhodes and interrupted.

"Conner, put me in."

"No. You're too close to this."

"Like hell. I'm taking Hailey." Without waiting for the go-ahead, Will grabbed the gurney and took her to trauma four. Rhodes wanted to protest but honestly, he needed the help.

"What've we got," Will asked?

"Thirty year old female with gunshot to the lower abdomen. Breathing is steady and heart rate is elevated, 120/60." Will helped transport Hailey from the gurney to a bed and began examining the wound. The bullet was a still in her side but missed vital organs. He checked her reflexes and attached a cannula under her nose before asking questions about her name, location, and what she remembered. He also called out tests and medication to alleviate the elevated heart rate. Hailey's responses sounded like a computer, just spitting out information with no life behind them. A classic sign of someone in shock. The fear in the pit of Will's stomach was making its' ascent. The lack of knowing what happened to all of them was concerning and the lack of Jay's arrival wasn't promising.

"Hailey, you've got internal bleeding in your belly and the bullet is still in there, we're sending you up to the OR now. I need you to sign these procedure forms." Will followed her gurney to the elevators and watched the doors close. He was reentering the ED when his stomach dropped to the floor and his heart was in his mouth. Someone shouted something about needing Rhodes and Will only caught a glimpse of hand to know who the person was on the gurney. His feet instinctively starting running and he found himself standing over Jay, assessing the limp, blood soaked body. Monitors were beeping irregularly and alarms were beginning to go off. Jay was already intubated and breathing via a bag squeeze every few seconds. Will took over that task and quickly connected him to a ventilator hose. He took in the two sources of excessive blood loss and tried his best to control his shaking hands. Busying himself, he began to place pressure on the bullet hole in Jay's left side when Rhodes entered the room.

"Will, step back. You can't do this." Will just shook his head and remained with his job.

"Will! You're not helping him. Back up! Go help with Adam, now!" Common sense finally kicked in and Will stepped away, allowing the surgeon to take over. As he slowly backed out of the room, Rhodes commented something about too much blood loss and needing to be on bypass ten minutes ago. Jay at this point was slipping further in cardiac failure and rounds of epinephrine were administered. Someone finally shooed Will out of the room as a central line was inserted in Jay's neck and the defibrillator was warming up. Will pressed the back of his hands to his forehead as the sound of electric shocks coursed through his brother's body. Ignoring the temptation to run away, Will rotated right and headed for the room next door.

"Page Bekker, I need her in an OR with me in five minutes," Rhodes barked out. He honestly questioned if Jay would make the elevator ride up two floors. He'd reached the point of needing volume rather than blood. Anymore intake of fresh blood would be the final blow to the heart's function. Time to work with whatever was left in there.

"Charge to 360…clear!" Breaths were held for a few seconds before the monitor rewarded some good news: sinus rhythm.

"We're moving. Let's go everyone!" The race to the OR was on. Jay and a myriad of doctors, nurses, and monitors whizzed by Adam's room. Will's eyes followed the herd to the elevator and watched the floor numbers increase, praying his brother would ride that elevator again, alive.

Adam and Jay seemed to be in a race to death. As bad as Jay was when he arrived, Adam was that much worse. While Jay was intubated in the field, Adam was trached, thus the reason for him arriving last. The initial concern was Adam's punctured lung and the bullet still lodged in it. He'd developed a large pneumothorax on the ride to Med and Will had to perform a thoracotomy and insert a chest tube. The amount of blood that escaped through the incision and tube was traumatizing, but Will was able to get everything in place. A scan around the second gunshot wound revealed the bigger dilemma.

"Shoot. It hit his right kidney and he's really bleeding internally. He needs to go up now or he's gunna lose the kidney. Page trauma!" Will reached to unplug a monitor when Adam's eyes rolled under its' lids and partially opened. A small miracle.

"Adam, stay with me. You're in the hospital." Will hit the elevator buttons a few more times, still thinking that sped things up. Adam blinked a couple more times before returning to an unconscious state. As the elevator claimed the final member of Intelligence, Will turned around to assess the aftermath of all that transpired. Each trauma room in the ER was coated in soiled gauze and bloody garments. Nurses went about replacing depleted inventory and janitorial was mopping up messes on the ground. Doctors gathered around the desk in the middle of the ED, shaking their heads. Each trying to process the violence that just rolled through the doors. Will's attention was drawn to trauma one. Trudy Platt was sitting next to a bed with a white sheet over it, crying through a tissue covering her eyes. The body in the bed was a young officer that was fatally shot at the scene and pronounced here. Will didn't see Trudy or the officer arrive but was able to connect the dots. All of Intelligence was in a bed somewhere in the hospital, leaving the officer as the eighth trauma.

The last few minutes were a blur that Will hoped he'd one day forget. He rested up against a corner and slowly slid to the floor. The blood on his clothes and gloves reeked, but he suddenly couldn't move. The weight of what just transpired struck him; evil came to visit his friends and brother. He kept blinking in an effort to delete the sounds and images in his brain, but it didn't work. His few moments with Jay kept repeating and grew louder with every replay. He rolled his head into his chest and let out a couple of tears before regaining composure. He was a little surprised no one noticed him down here. Perhaps they were just giving him some space. Nevertheless, he wanted to slip out of sight before people began asking questions he didn't want to hear or discuss. So he gathered himself up and headed for the stairs; looking for a spot to let everything out.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3- Incapable Of Being Easy

 **I am so, so humbled by all your feedback. Thank you so much guys. I'm glad you're enjoying this story thus far. Just a heads up, we might be stretching the miracle of medicine in this chapter, but that's what fan fiction is all about though, right?! I hope you enjoy!**

It was nearing midnight when the waiting room door swung open. Will, Natalie, Trudy, and Dr. Charles sat in that room for over five hours hoping, praying, chatting, and nervously pacing for their people. Waiting for the unknown is the worst. The 'no news is good news' saying does not apply to this situation. The longer everything remained in the air, the faster hope faded. While they all truly wanted the best outcome from this terrible day, as the hours rolled on, the reality of the situation became apparent: no one was coming out of this unscathed. To everyone's surprise, it was only Rhodes who entered the room, holding several clipboards. He settled in a chair in the center of the group.

"Hey guys. I spoke with the other surgeons and offered to relay all the updates. Figured you didn't want a revolving door of doctors in here filling your heads with a lot of information. So let's take it one person at a time. Hank's injuries did not require surgery as both injuries were a through-and-through and he only needed irrigation and suturing. He did have to be sedated due to his inability to cooperate." The waiting party all chuckled and sighed at that one. Such a Hank Voight thing to do.

"Antonio's injuries were similar to Voight's in that they did not require surgery. The one in his shoulder did get in contact with some tendons and major muscles so he'll be sore and need to keep everything immobile for awhile but he should make a full recovery. The gunshot in his side grazed the skin so other than needing stitches, he'll be ok. Unlike Hank, he is not sedated but is resting in a room upstairs." Everyone took a collective sigh of relief. _So far so good_. Now come the more serious cases.

"Kim suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen and the bullet nicked her liver and large intestine. She underwent surgery to repair the damage and came through with flying colors. She'll be kept under observation for seventy-two hours and then probably be sidelined for a couple of weeks. Hailey also suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen but fortunately, no vital organs were effected. The bullet caused some internal bleeding and she came through surgery just fine. They're going to keep her here for forty-eight hours and then she'll need a couple of weeks at home to recover." Rhodes looked up at this audience to make sure everyone was following along. Will, Nat, and Dr. Charles kept nodding while Trudy just stared at him, trying to just hear everything and process. He went back to his stack of boards.

"Kevin's injuries were localized to his left shoulder and arm. He required surgery only to remove the lodged bullets but there was no significant damage. He's going to be out of commission for about a month and will require some physical therapy. He too is upstairs resting right now." Rhodes hesitated for a moment before picking up the next patient file. Delivering bad news never gets easier.

"Adam suffered a gunshot wound to the lung and right abdomen. His lung was severely compromised and punctured and Will was successful in placing a chest tube. In surgery though, the lung collapsed again and the damage actually got worse. The surgeon drained the blood and fluid and was able to extract the bullet. However, the lung's function is hovering around sixty percent. He's currently on a high dose of steroids and will need to stay trached for at least a week.."

"-What happens if things don't improve after a week," Trudy asked?

"Then the discussion of removal or a transplant will begin. I know that's scary but he's not there yet. The doctors are hopeful the drug regime he's on now will help." Trudy just nodded and went back to listening. Will was awaiting the worst part of the whole report.

"The bullet in his abdomen did hit his right kidney and, unfortunately, it had to be removed." That one got a gasp from Nat and Trudy. Will rubbed the back of his neck.

"The damage was beyond repair and was causing a great amount of internal bleeding. I'm sorry guys."

"Can he live with one kidney," Trudy asked?

"Absolutely. It's one the amazing things about the human body. While two functioning kidneys is ideal, people can and do live normal lives with just one. He'll be out of work for a couple months till his body adjusts to its' new functions, but there's no reason he can't go back to his normal way of life. He's currently sedated right now just to give his body a break from everything. He should regain consciousness before twenty-four hours." Now the tension in the room spiked. The fact that Conner saved Jay for last didn't help Will's uneasiness. Will kept reminding himself that as long as Jay was alive, that was enough. He'd help his brother get through whatever challenges he now faced. The cardiothoracic surgeon made direct eye contact with Will before speaking. While everyone else was still in the room, informing Will was his only priority.

"Jay…umm….it was difficult for awhile. As you know, he was shot through his back and the bullet hit his heart. Getting him stable enough to place him on bypass was trying but he got there. The bullet tore into two of the chambers in his heart and we had to perform double bypass surgery. Fortunately, the bullet only grazed his pulmonary artery and aorta and we were able to repair the damage. Also, we had to extract blood vessels from his leg and graft them into the damaged chambers of the heart. So far, those are holding. He's currently dealing with some serious arrhythmias and we had to insert pacing wires. That's pretty common after going on bypass." Natalie held Will's hand while Conner spoke. Will's eyes never left the surgeon, fighting the urge to fall into the fetal position.

"However, the biggest concern was the injury to his left side. That bullet caused about as much damage as the one in his heart. We tried, honestly, but we had no choice but to remove his spleen. It was bleeding faster than we could pump blood in and the bullet really did a number on the organ. I'm really sorry, Will." Conner stopped speaking to let the whole room swallow that one. Dr. Charles was comforting an upset Trudy and Natalie was fighting tears. Will just closed his eyes, half hoping he'd wake up to a normal situation. Rhodes would have to admit to fighting emotions away as well. This was a personal case and each person involved was still shocked to find themselves in this predicament.

"What are his odds?" Conner looked at his hands before speaking.

"He's been through a lot in a very short time. Any one of these injuries is enough stress on the body, let alone the combination. He's got some fighting to do. We're going to take it a day at a time. If he makes it to twenty-four hours, then I'll be pleased. Forty-eight hours will be the true indicator of his odds. He's currently sedated just to give his body a break. We'll start lifting the drugs after twelve hours and see what happens. We're also going to keep him intubated till he regains consciousness. He's also in soft restraints right now." Will's head snapped up, eyes glaring.

"I know he won't like it, but it's the only way to ensure he won't pull anything out. Once he's awake we'll remove them." Will slowly nodded his head and relaxed. He knew Conner's intentions were good.

"What's his blood volume?"

"I'd say he lost fifty to sixty percent of his blood supply. He's currently getting a transfusion and will receive one every eight hours till his pressure stabilizes. We didn't want to overload his supply too quickly after he lost so much. The theme of the next two days is slow and steady. He cannot afford another ounce of stress on his heart. As you know, excessive blood loss means he's going to be very weak and cold for awhile. We've got him under warming blankets to help with that." Conner reached to pat Will's shoulder and stood to leave the room. He turned to the group before departing.

"I decided to put everyone up in the ICU for the time being. I know you'd all like to be close and keep up with everyone's recovery. This isn't a scenario any of us ever wanted to come to fruition. However, we're in it. The fact that they've all made it this far is huge. It's scary not knowing the end result, but we've gotta be there for them. They're fighting for us, we have to reciprocate. Ready to see them?" The group rose to their feet and followed their guide. Ready to reunite with the fighters but unsure if they could handle the uncertainty of the near future.

…

They should've just renamed the ICU the Intelligence floor. As the group got off the elevator and entered the oval shaped department, they noticed that those were the only patients occupying the rooms. The ICU rooms were glass and all faced the nurse's desk in the middle. Will was touched by Rhodes' thoughtfulness. He knew once everyone became alert and coherent, they'd all want to know what was going on with their teammates. Hank and Antonio were beginning to stir so Trudy ventured into their rooms first. Natalie went to check on Kim and Atwater, giving Will some time alone with Jay. With a shaky grasp, Will slid room four hundred eight's door open and headed in. The cheerleading portion of the recovery had begun.

The first thought that ran through Will's mind was that Jay looked like some freakish science experiment. The monitors sounding the irregular beeps of Jay's heart rhythm and the whooshing of the ventilator was like an unwelcoming symphony of a struggling life. It was hard to find a place on Jay's body that didn't have wiring or tubing making contact with his skin. Jay was resting at a thirty five degree angle and had a layer of warming blankets and sheets covering his body. A hospital gown was undone and draped over his chest, allowing quick access to the numerous wires, incisions, and monitors on Jay. The ventilator hose that Will attached to the breathing tube was still in place and forcing breaths into Jay's battered body. The up and down movements of Jay's chest was the only movement happening in the room. The central line that was inserted in the ED was still present and feeding fresh blood into Jay. There was also a feeding tube sticking out of Jay's left nostril and taped to the side of his face. As Will pulled up a chair next to Jay's side, he took in the drainage tubes from where a spleen used to be. That one still stung. Will knew Jay would be fine without it. It was the thought that Jay woke up this morning not knowing he'd be down an organ by day's end was unsettling. But perhaps the thing that got to Will the most was the shade of white his brother's skin was. It wasn't pure white nor was it mid-winter pale. His skin had this eerie, greenish white hue to it. When he grabbed his brother's hand, it was limp and cold. Now at a closer position, Will concluded that his brother looked weak, frail, small under everything. Will did something very out of his norm: he kissed his brother's forehead. Will took in the room before sitting back in his chair. Despite his feelings and disbelief for the whole situation, it happened. And now his brother was in the aftermath of it all, digging deep for life. A nurse slid the door open, interrupting Will's 'aha moment.'

"Hi Will, just giving him his injections for the splenectomy." The spleen's primary function is to filter blood as part of the immune system. Without that organ, the body's immune system is severely compromised and the person is more prone to infections and illnesses. Furthermore, the individual will require more time to get over illnesses. After an emergency splenectomy, patients are required to get a booster shot that'll aid in fighting off infections during their hospital stay. As the nurse located an IV to insert the life saving drugs, Jay's face briefly scrunched up.

"Pacing wires," the nurse commented before plunging the vile into the IV line. Will hadn't seen the effects of the wires post-op. He knew they sent electrical shocks to the heart but didn't consider the pain behind the act. Will nodded and went back to holding Jay's hand.

"It's ok, Jay. Just hang in there. I'm here when you're ready." The storm that blew through earlier in the evening had passed and the infamous Chicago winds were howling outside. Will smirked at the metaphor. Jay's storm had hopefully passed. Now it was time for the second act: breathing life back into Jay.

…

Everything was really fuzzy and sounded far away. Someone was speaking but she couldn't make out the words. She tried to sit up but was met with a sharp pain in her stomach.

"No, Kim, don't get up. You're in the hospital and you just had surgery." Kim blinked a couple of times before looking at the person speaking.

"Sarge?!" Trudy half laughed and smiled.

"Yes! I'm here. You're ok, so rest." Kim looked around her room before furthering her gaze to the world outside her door. She took in the patients in the other rooms before finding Will sitting next to a bed. It instantaneously all came back. Despite the shooting pain, Kim sat up and put her face in her hands, tears were streaming.

"Oh, oh Kim it's ok. Everybody's here." Trudy got off her chair and gently placed her arms around Kim, offering a tissue a moment later. Kim blew her nose a couple of times before resting against the pillows. Platt told her everything. From the shooting at the district to the post-op details of each member, Trudy didn't leave a detail untouched. Kim took everything in, sitting silent for a few minutes before throwing the sheets off.

"I can't sit here. I need to see Adam, now." Kim ripped the monitors off her chest and grabbed for the IV cart.

"Um no, I'll go check on boy wonder. You need to stay in bed."

"Sorry, sarge, but I'm choosing to ignore you." Platt knew she wasn't going to win this one. It was easy to see the couple never really got over each other. Sure, they went their separate ways for a bit, but true love always finds its' way back. And yes, Trudy knew how mushy and cheesy that sounded. She didn't want to get in the way of cupid's plan. She offered Kim an arm and the two women shuffled out the door and across the hall. Destination, prince charming. Enough of the cheesiness.

Kim almost wished she hadn't made the journey over here. Trudy told her all that happened to Adam, but now seeing him, the truth really sunk in. He was certainly put through the ringer this evening. Adam looked peaceful almost, apart from the tube and hose coming out of his neck. Kim looked around at the monitors and vent keeping her guy alive before resting on the chair Platt pulled up. Kim took Adam's hand was startled by its' lifelessness. She examined the chest tube snaking out the side of the sheets before kissing his hand. She didn't care who was watching.

"I'm here Adam. I'll be here when you wake up." She reached to tousle his hair. It was a small pet peeve of Adam's and she always enjoyed irritating him. The small uptick in his heart monitor made her smile. He was in there and fighting.

Meanwhile, Hank Voight and risen from his slumber and was asking for discharge papers. He removed the monitor leads he was attached to and reached for the clear bag containing his belongings. The doctor tried to persuade him to stay but it didn't work. Voight reasoned that he wasn't going to sit on his ass and rest while the thugs who attacked his team were out there laughing, celebrating their success. He signed his AMA papers and stormed out. It's amazing he stayed in the hospital as long as he did. It had to be a personal record. Nevertheless, his team was hurting tonight and he couldn't sit around and watch them die. Watch out Chicago, Hank Voight is on a revenge tour.

…

The Intelligence Unit's first night in the ICU was exciting. As the remaining members of the team became awake and alert, it beam apparent to the hospital staff that the team was incapable of staying in there room. Kim eventually fell asleep lying halfway on Adam's bed and it took waking up to blood soaked dressings to move Kim back to her room. She'd broken some of her suturing during her trip to Adam's room. Antonio followed in Hank's footsteps and left the hospital against medical advice. If there was anyone who could slow Voight down, it was him. His focus was on the case. In order to get the revenge they all sought, Ray Burke needed to be convicted in a court of law. It was hard for that to happen if he was dead. Atwater soon realized that he too could get up and decided to spend the night in the vacant chair in Adam's room. If Adam could hear all that went on in his room that night, he must've felt like his room was grand central station. Hailey was the lone person who stayed put that night. The view out her room windows was enough to scare her. She didn't want to admit that her partner was on the other side of the floor knocking on death's door. The same conclusion was made regarding Adam. She wished she had listened to the voice in her head telling her that something was wrong with the case. She knew that thoughts weren't going to change anything. Therefore, she used her time wisely and slept, hoping rest would ready her for whatever the next days and weeks had in store.

Jay on the other hand had a relatively quiet first night. Aside from the hourly check-ins, everything remained steady. Jay didn't improve but he also didn't get worse. Rhodes actually stayed through the night and was the one checking in on his patient. It wasn't something he typically did and Will gained a newfound respect for the doctor. He really wanted to see Jay come out of this. The beeps, boops, and whooshing in Jay's room transformed into a trance tactic. Will's body finally caught up to its' activities that day and he was soon passed out on the world's most uncomfortable chair. There was one visit during the four AM hour where Will's sleep depravation really shone. Rhodes was listening to Jay's heart when a messy, red head lifted.

"Hey man, how's he doing?" Conner waited till he was finished to answer Will.

"The heart's a little slow but sounds good considering. Also the draining has really slowed down on his side. He's holding steady." Will nodded and then glanced out at the ICU floor.

"I was thinking, do you how many sutures are on this floor right now? The amount of tubing and needles being utilized up here. And let's not forget the blood supply. It's crazy to think about." Conner gave Will a puzzled look before exiting.

"Why don't you go back sleep and I'll be back soon."

"Oh, yeah, ok." Will was out in a second. Rhodes just laughed as he slid the door closed. _Well he officially snapped._

…

 _What on earth?_ Everything hurt. His head, his breathing, his stomach, and there was something on his throat. He blinked a couple of times in an effort to clear his vision. There was this constant blowing motion coming from the thing on his neck and it hurt when he tried to swallow. Even with the whooshing thing, he found it hard to breathe. It was like someone was squeezing a tube while telling him to inhale. Also, why did his side hurt so much. His gaze went around the room to reveal his location: a hospital. He felt something, or rather, someone touch his arm.

"Adam? Kim, wake up. Adam's awake." Another hand grabbing his other arm.

"Adam! Hey, don't move. You're in the hospital." Adam attempted to touch the thing in his neck but Atwater pulled his hands away.

"No man, you can't pull that out. It's helping you breathe right now. Just relax and let it work." Kevin made Adam stare at him and match his breathing. It was comical and Adam eventually got the hang of it. By now the nurses were aware to Adam's consciousness and began the evaluation process. A penlight was waved in front of the eyes and reflexes were documented. Adam made a writing motion with his hand and soon a whiteboard and marker were presented. He remembered why he'd need a hospital stay but wanted to know what was going on. He wrote, 'what happened,' followed by several question marks.

"Do you remember getting shot?" Adam nodded.

"Well, you were hit in your lung and kidney and it was pretty bad. You've been unconscious for twelve hours or something. Your lung collapsed twice and you have to stay connected to the vent till it improves. You've also got a chest tube so, try to not move around. Also, um, they had to remove your kidney, Adam. I'm sorry." Kim squeezed Adam's hand while Atwater spoke. Adam blinked and sniffed a few times before returning to the whiteboard.

'Where's Jay?,' was the next thing he wrote. Atwater looked to Kim for advice. She just shrugged her shoulders and nodded, no reason to keep Adam in the dark.

"Jay's here. He's alive. But he got hit pretty bad. His heart was hit by a bullet and he lost a lot of blood. He also had his spleen removed. He hasn't woken up yet but they're hopeful it'll be sometime today or tomorrow." Both visitors held Adam's hands as he began to cry. He felt responsible for Jay's outcome. He kept thinking about how he could've avoided everything had he'd been smarter, faster in the moment. He knew Jay would tell him it wasn't his fault but, in that moment, nothing was going to sway his belief.

It was late evening when Jay made his reentry. Rhodes was reading the monitors when a quiet gag sounded from the person in the bed. Jay eyes were tired and hazed over from the drugs, but the blue eyes quickly darted around the room before focusing on Will. It took Jay no time at all to test the soft restraints. Even in his weakened state, Jay managed to fight and even loosen one of them. Will tried to grab his hands while Rhodes shouted for a nurse.

"Jay, calm down. You're all right. We're going to take them off but you need to relax." Jay fought a couple more seconds before putting his arms down. Will would never forget Jay's facial expression. He was so out of everything and was scared and confused. Will assisted in the restrain removal and instructed Jay of his new limitations.

"Jay, you just had surgery and your sternum is wired shut. You cannot move your arms a lot or it'll displace the bone." Will motioned to Jay's chest while he spoke.

"You have wires in place that'll really hurt if you try to pull them out. Can you blink for me?" Jay slowly responded with a drowsy blink.

"Good job. We'll take the tube out," Rhodes chimed in as they sat Jay's bed up a little higher. Will held Jay's hand as Conner unplugged the hose and deflated the balloon.

"Ok, I need you to blow out as hard as you can. Ready?" Jay blinked again and nodded.

"1, 2, 3, go." Jay gagged the entire time the tube was coming out. There was some blood and bile that came up with everything but he was finally breathing on his own. Will wiped around his mouth while Rhodes inserted the cannula under his nose.

"This stays on for two days. No taking it off. You need the oxygen. Also, try to not speak for a while. Good job, man." Rhodes and the nurse slipped out the room, leaving Will alone with a tired Jay.

"Welcome back man. You scared us all there for a bit." Jay nodded and kept his eyes closed. Will almost detected a wince. He figured it was just from the excitement of his return to consciousness. However, Jay started coughing and everything shifted.

"Jay, what's wrong. Come on, talk to me." Jay was now gagging and gasping for air.

"It..hurts," he whispered with a rough, graveled voice.

"What, your chest?!" Jay nodded before attempting to sit up, now on the verge of vomiting.

"Page Rhodes!" Alarms were blaring while Will grabbed for a bucket and put it under Jay's mouth. All that came up was blood. The two Halsteads looked up at each other horrified. Rhodes raced back into the room and started disconnecting monitor cords.

"Dammit, he's throwing a clot. Tell the OR were on our way up." The two doctors claimed a side of Jay's bed and beelined for the elevator. On the way up, Jay was sedated and staples were removed. Conner didn't care if Will helped at this point, time was running out. Will got to see the incisions, wires, and tubing for the first time while he helped prep. The shock was there, but Will didn't let it win. Rhodes held Will back as they pushed Jay through the OR doors. Will stood there with a handful of staples that were once in his brother's chest. He sought the nearest trash can and tossed the items away before depositing his stomach contents. For the second time in thirty-six hours, he found himself in the depths of despair. _Back to square one._

 **Sorry for the cliffhanger. But every story needs one at some point. This chapter was intentionally slowed down from the previous chapters. I really want to establish the immediate aftermath before kicking things up a notch. The next chapter we'll see a little more about the case and the recovery process back at the hospital.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4- Hey Darling, How Are You

"Sir, you can't go in there. He's on a phone call right now!" The secretary chased him down the hall as he ignored her remarks. He flung the door open and marched right up to the guy, ripping his phone out of his hands.

"What the heck, man!" A strong, swift punch was the only response. As the young, arrogant, inexperienced FBI agent wiped the blood off his face and mouth, Voight almost went in for another blow before opting to hover his fist above the man's head. The agent stood there shaking.

"Because of your inability to do you job, I have a team that's in disarray right now. Two of my people are knocking on death's door and that's on you!" The FBI agent threw is hands up in surrender, hoping to avoid another shot from Voight.

"Look, I'm sorry about what happened to your team, but there's isn't any evidence that Ray's the one that sanctioned the hit."

"Oh, so you think it's a coincidence that we arrested his son and hours later we were attacked? How far up your ass are you?! The kid was a trojan horse!"

"We never detected anything on the device. Everything was running per usual. The plan was clean and perfect." Voight brought his fist closer, making the kid squeal. Voight stood there for a moment before speaking.

"Your intel was the whole reason we breached the house. It was your brilliant idea to put Will Halstead in there and plant the device. Maybe if you stopped going by the FBI handbook, we wouldn't be having this talk right now." Voight lowered his hand and the agent slightly relaxed.

"We're taking over the case, junior. Congratulations, you just lost your task force the case of the year. Take it up with your boss in Washington." On that note, Voight stormed out of the room and made his way out of the building.

Antonio was resting against a flowerbed at the end of the FBI building's steps. He half waved at Voight and smirked.

"Feel better? Is the kid dead?" Voight massaged his sore shoulder before joining Antonio against the flowerbed.

"Would I be out here if he was?"

"If were going to catch Burke, we've got to do this by the book. I believe it was you who told us that before this all started." Voight nodded and looked up at the building in front of them. The two men stood there for a moment, lost in thought.

"When do we tell Will," Antonio asked? Voight shook his head.

"Not now. Jay needs him. The kid will blame himself for all this. It's now our case.."

"-Officially," Antonio interrupted?

"No, but I don't think boy genius up there will stand in our way. This happened to us. No one else is more qualified to bring Ray in than us." Antonio nodded.

"So, when do we get started?" Voight smirked before getting up from his resting spot and walking down the sidewalk.

"C'mon. We've got work to do."

…

Will sat on the chair in Jay's room, fixing his gaze on the giant hole in the room where a bed is supposed to be. He honestly didn't remember coming up here. It was a commuter coma journey he concluded. This was the last place his brother was alive and Will wanted to feel the presence of a living soul. Jay had been in surgery for over an hour now and Will hadn't heard anything. Those in the neighboring rooms saw the ordeal happen, but didn't want to inquire. Will looked like he was in a trance. He felt that he didn't have any tears left to cry. He opted to lean over and put his hands over his face and think. He was grateful that this latest episode occurred when Jay was conscious. He partially concluded that that's why Jay woke up in the first place. Will didn't even want to think about how things could've gone so differently had Jay been unconscious. But the fact that this happened so quickly after everything else was scary. Everything was going smoothly and then the speed bump came out of nowhere. So Will sat there, torturing himself with his thoughts. A quiet knock interrupted the room's silence. Will glanced up to see Natalie standing there, pointing to the door. Will nodded and she slowly made her way in.

"I heard what happened, I'm so sorry Will." Will nodded while lost in some daydream. Natalie squeezed her way onto the chair with Will gave him a hug. Will blinked out of his trance and reciprocated the favor.

"I can't lose him. Not after all this." Will motioned to the room.

"I know. He's going to pull through. He's defied the odds and made it this far. I don't see him giving up that easy." The couple sat in silence for a bit. Each absorbing the latest setback. Each trying to resist the dark, negative thoughts running wild. Rhodes' knocking knuckles at the door made them jump, making them smile for the first time in forever.

"He pulled through. He did develop a large pulmonary embolism but we were able to remove the entire clot. He's going to be on blood thinners for a couple of days just to make sure that doesn't happen again.

"So no more transfusions," Will asked?

"Not until he's off the blood thinners. He doesn't need the overload of thin blood. He's looking good though. He's not intubated because he really fought the vent as we lifted the anesthesia." Will smirked at that one. Jay being difficult, per usual.

"He's on a cannula now and he'll need it for a few days. We've gotta make sure he wears it the entire time. He'll be up in a couple of minutes." Rhodes left the couple alone to celebrate. The stubborn ass lives to fight another day. Once Jay was situated back in the room, everything resumed as normal. Same warming blankets and disheveled hospital gown. Same monitors, wires, and IVs. Same incisions, except with new staples and wiring. Same skin tone from two days ago. But the room felt different. It was the first time during this whole episode that Will truly felt hopeful. Jay faced Goliath sized challenges and surpassed all expectations. Jay was finally on the road to recovery. It was a long trip, but Will knew his brother would see the other end at some point. Jay remained unconscious through the night and Will didn't mind. Reentry would happen when Jay was ready.

…

The following afternoon was the selected time for Jay to return to the world. A nurse was in the process of redressing the multiple incisions when Jay's eyes fluttered open. He glanced around the room before acknowledging the source of his pain. The up and down movements of his chest were excruciating. There was a perpetual shock sensation followed by a stinging, burning pain. This definitely ranked in the top five for worst pain experienced. Will placed a hand on Jay's shoulder and smiled.

"Hey Jay, how are you feeling?" Jay closed his eyes and scrunched his face for a second before answering.

"It hurts." Will heard that one before.

"I know, I know, we can give you something for that." Will looked to the nurse and asked for doses of fentanyl and dilaudid.

"Do you have any pain when you breathe?" Jay shook his head.

"My chest just feels tight and like someone is stabbing it."

"Yeah. That's from the wiring of your sternum and the stabbing pain is from the pacing wires." The miracle doses of narcotics arrived and were shortly injected into an IV line. Jay reached up to rub his eyes but the shooting pain brought that to a halt. He winced and cursed. Will grabbed a tissue.

"Just relax and I'll get it. Remember, your sternum is wired and can be easily misaligned. Arm movements are limited right now." Will gently brushed the tissue in the corners of both eyes. The nurse had finished her dressing task and left the two of them alone. The drugs really made Jay out of it. He'd stare at the end of the bed before slowly blinking, looking back at Will.

"The pain killers is going to make you feel really high and definitely sleepy. You've been through a lot, Jay. Let the drugs do their thing. Do you remember anything of what happened?" Jay's eyes were glassed over and eyelids becoming droopy. The narcotic stupor was kicking in.

"Um, I remember getting shot and I kinda remember waking up to everything hurting." Honestly, Will was impressed his brother willingly admitted to getting shot. To everyone else, the admittance to being shot is traumatizing enough. But in typical Jay fashion, it seemed to roll off his back. Like it's totally normal to wake up in a hospital with gunshot wounds around your heart and side. The psyche of Jay Halstead never ceased to puzzle Will.

Even if Jay didn't remember any of it, he deserved to know what happened. It was his right to know how he got from bleeding out in the interrogation room to waking up covered in everything and immobile in a hospital room. Will took a breath before diving in to the retelling of the last fews days. He tried to keep everything simple while giving enough details into Jay's surgeries and early hours. Jay was like a little kid forcing himself awake. He'd close his eyes and then widely force them open: trying to best to take in all Will was saying. Jay didn't flinch at the heart surgery or the pacing wires keeping his irregular heart alive. The spleen report really jolted him awake.

"Wait, don't I need a spleen?"

"Not necessarily. A lot of people live totally normal lives without one. Your body will reassign the spleen's functions to other organs. But, you'll probably get sick more often."

"So much for my flu record." Will chuckled and nodded his head.

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"Thanks, Will."

"For what?"

"For being here. I imagine life hasn't been easy the last couple of days."

"Dude, you're family. No need to thank me." Jay was really drifting in and out of sleep now so Will opted to sitting back and remaining quiet; hoping his brother would get the idea to fall asleep. Alas, it didn't work.

"Will, I need to tell you something and you cannot freak out." That was Jay's strongest voice yet. Will pulled his chair closer to the bed and sat, suddenly feeling uneasy.

"Ray ordered the attack on the district. We arrested his son and hours later…that all happened. There isn't any solid evidence to confirm, but it's pretty obvious he's behind it all." Will sat there with his mouth open, completely dumfounded. It was like someone was fast forwarding a tape of everything from the last few days and then paused it on him. He's the reason why Jay, and everyone else, was here right now. He's the reason an innocent police officer is dead. He knew going under cover was a bad idea. His worst nightmare was now his reality. Will rose from his seat and started pacing the room.

"Will, it's not your fault. No one blames you.."

"-Except me. I'm the one that planted the bug. I'm the one that said yes to your crazy plan!" Jay ignored the last part.

"Did you plan and order the hit? C'mon Will, you did everything right. This wasn't your fault. It was a high stakes case that went wrong." Will was quiet for awhile as Jay eventually gave in to the drugs' sedative aspect. The guilt of everything weighed heavily on his mind. He kept going back to that night when Jay asked, no, somewhat forced Will to go undercover. Had he really stuck to his guns, none of this would have ever happened. Despite what everyone told him, this one was on him. Will didn't eat or sleep very well that night. While he couldn't change the past, he wanted nothing more than to effect the future. More than anything, he wanted Ray Burke dead.

…

The next couple of days were pretty low-key for the Intelligence Unit. By now, everyone expect Jay and Adam had been discharged from the hospital. Instead of retuning to their homes and recovering, they all gathered at Voight's place to work on the case. The district was still locked down and none of them were ready to return to the scene of the horrible crime. Plus, only a true idiot would dare to storm Hank Voight's place. It was the perfect location for headquarters. Despite their aches and pains, the unit subconsciously agreed to not rest till Ray Burke was found. A police presence was established at the hospital and guards were placed outside the ICU floor and each person's door. It was odd that Ray hadn't attempted to take them out at the hospital. Perhaps he thought they were all deceased. Regardless, their lesson was learned: better to overprotect than wait for violence to ensue.

The team returned to Ray's house five days after the attack and were met with an eerie surprise. The house was scrubbed clean. No furniture. No furnishings. All electronics were either burned or soaked in acid. The whole place smelled like bleach. Even the garage was spotless. It was a if Ray Burke vanished into thin air.

"This is creepy," Kim blurted out as they ventured into the basement.

"Yeah," Antonio agreed. The basement was an identical match to the rest of the house and everyone regrouped in the now empty kitchen.

"So, he's on the run," Kevin concluded.

"This was some operation that got pulled off quickly," Hailey commented.

"Surely the neighbors heard or saw something. There weren't any calls to the police, anything?!" Antonio shook his head.

"They're probably scared to say anything. This is Ray's territory. I'd bet he's got people paying him protection money. Let's not forget the caliber of this guy's means and opportunities." Voight cut in to the discussion.

"Ray's not coming back here and he's got a five day head start on us. For all we know, he's sitting on a beach in France. Everyone contact your C.I.s and put them on alert. Right now, we have nothing to tie him to the attack let alone enough to bring him in. We're at square one right now. Let's get to work." The team stared at their teammates, collectively agreeing to the mission. The bastard wasn't going to get away with this.

…

Since he told Will about Ray, Jay was a perfect patient. He slept when he needed to. He'd remember to not move around much. And only asked a couple of times when he'd be able to leave. He even kept the tube under his nose. Will knew this was Jay's way of trying to make him feel better. Will remained pretty quiet since he and Jay spoke; only discussing medical related topics. While he wanted to press, Jay understood that is brother was trying to process the truth. In time, he'd forgive himself. The one thing that really irked Jay was blood transfusions. Every time the nurse came in with the IV line and blood bag, Jay would get squeamish, sighing before turning his head to let the nurse insert the line into his central line. His argument was that it felt weird having some else's blood in him. But it was necessary for his recovery, so he willingly took it.

Jay would also keep up with Adam's progress. The two of them were neighbors and would often wave at the other person from their bed. It was funny to witness and the two of them bonded. It was comforting to know that someone else was fighting for the same goal next door. Those moments were what got Adam over his guilt. Seeing Jay alive and coherent brought everything into perspective. The past had already happened, no need to fret over something that couldn't be corrected. It was about a week into their recovery when the two of them finally reunited. Will and the staff had a brilliant idea: put the two of them in the same room. No need to keep them apart and plus, it'll help with security. So while the two of them slept, the hospital staff set up a room big enough to accompany two and somehow maneuvered both of them to their new home without waking them. Jay's nap was disrupted by the sound of snoring. He looked around the room to find a passed out Adam to his left.

"No. I'm not living with that." Will just laughed.

"Says the guy that does the exact same thing. Welcome to my life the last week or so." Jay gave him a horrified face.

"I am wounded and you have the nerve to make fun of me?!" Will responded with a light slap and Jay exaggerated a painful 'OW!.' Their exchange caused the snoring sleeping beauty to awaken. Adam was still trached at the time and greeted his new roommates with a wave.

"Hey Adam, how's the hand? Did you have to get a tetanus shot for it?" Adam mouthed, 'shut up,' and Jay broke into laughter. Despite the pain it caused, it felt good to laugh again. Things were returning to normal.

…

A big moment in Adam's recovery arrived the morning of day ten. Adam's lung had healed enough for him to be taken off the ventilator. He'd still need to be on oxygen for a few more days, but this step was huge. Adam requested Kim be there for the removal of the trache and she gladly obliged.

"You ready," Rhodes asked? Adam shook his head and looked over at a smiling Kim. The two held hands the entire time.

"Alright, let's get going. I'm going to remove the hose and slowly pull the tube out. This shouldn't hurt but let me know if it does. We can always give you something." Adam found a spot on the ceiling to stare while Rhodes tugged at the tube. It's a weird sensation, having something pulled out from your neck. It didn't hurt nor was it discomforting. For a lack of a better word, it was odd. It felt like a weight was being removed, both physically and metaphorically. An element of freedom was being returned and that was exciting. The whole thing took seconds, but to Adam, it felt like hours. Once the tube was removed, a few sterile strips and tape were placed around the incision site and an oxygen mask was placed on Adam's face.

"And we're done! Awesome job, Adam. Try to not talk too much and keep neck movements to a minimum. Everything should heal up in a couple of weeks and you'll probably have a gnarly scar." After a pat on the shoulder, the brilliant surgeon left the room.

"Hey darling, how are you?" His voice was rather scratchy and quiet, but it there and it was him. A now emotional Kim went in for a kiss. For awhile there, she thought she'd never hear that name.

"Don't talk. But I'm good now." The couple was near kiss when an exceptionally groggy Jay ruined the moment.

"You two know I'm in here, right?" Kim laughed.

"Seriously, man? Can you try and not spoil the moment?"

"Hey, no talking."

Looking back, the Intelligence Unit would admit that this whole experience became a crazy, unorthodox bonding exercise. Each person was taken down, but they all were finding ways to get back up; some taking longer than others. But through it all, each person knew their fellow man—and woman—was counting on them. Encouraging them to keep going, even if the proverbial white light was extra tempting. There's a saying that goes, 'dying is easy, living is hard.' In the early minutes and hours following the attack, it was clear to see that dying was the easier option. With the obstacles lying in their path, it wouldn't have surprised anyone if the team lost members that night. However, true to their characters, the easy road was never for them. They all pulled for their people. They all fought for the better outcome. And now the fruits of their labor was paying off. Through it all, they became a closer knit bunch. While they were already a seamless functioning unit, this difficult time made them all that much stronger. They never said a word about this newfound bond, or strength. It was a gut feeling, a know fact. While the mighty fall, the stronger ones always find ways to get back up.

 **A short, but sweet chapter and I hope you enjoyed it. We finished act one of the attack and now we're transitioning into the conclusion. Next chapter will be combo of emotions so prepare now. Also, we'll address the lack of Hailey. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5- Just Give It Some Kind Of Meaning

Isn't it cool and fascinating that more often than not, the backdrop for a funeral is a cloudy, raining, cold day? It's like the world somehow knows when one of it's members left its' realms. The gloomy weather is the world's way of joining in the mourning process. Today was no exception to this phenomena. A steady mist was falling as the black limousines and police cars rolled into the cemetery. Umbrellas were popped open as mourning friends and families members gathered around the burial sight. Along the route, you'd see groups of people waiting for the procession. Some would hold signs while others nodded and waved. Their gestures were simple, but it spoke volumes into the day. While they probably never came in contact with the officer, it was touching to see the city take the time to pay their respects. Naturally, the mood in the cemetery was silent and somber. The only sounds were leaves crunching under shoes and sniffs from the grief stricken. Anytime the Chicago police department lost one of its' own, the members of this precious brotherhood would rally around each other. To them, it's equivalent to losing their brother or sister. They all took an oath to protect and defend the citizens of the city, including their adopted family. Today's service was packed. It appeared as if every cop in the city of Chicago showed up. The death of officer Taylor McBath made headlines. A young up-and-coming officer who was tragically killed in the line of duty. An innocent bystander that found herself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Her death was a frightening reminder of how quickly life can change. One minute, she had her whole life in front of her; endless possibilities were hers to claim. Instead, she found herself in a casket preparing to be laid to rest, leaving an adoring fiancé and large family behind.

The members of Intelligence, who were able to attended the service, came dressed in their service blues. At first, they were hesitant, not knowing if their presence would upset the family. It was Antonio who finally talked common sense into everyone. Officer Taylor was one of their own, a member of the 21st district. It would look worse if they didn't appear. Will and Natalie even attended on behalf of Jay, and the fact that they were connected to this vicious incident. On the way, it struck Will how close he came to this situation. He could've been the one making funeral arrangements this past week. It could've been him sitting across from a casket that housed his brother's body. In that moment, he felt like a complete creep for thinking so inwardly, focusing only on his problems rather then taking in the big picture. An innocent life died that night. Busying himself with guilt for his involvement was selfish and immature. Instead, he should be grateful for the miracles that happened that night and thankful that Jay, and the rest of Intelligence, was still living on this earth. What Ray Burke did was out of his control. He finally accepted that as he watched a trembling Trudy Platt walk up to the podium. She nervously pressed the paper holding her speech, took a breath, and spoke.

"Thank you all for coming today. As much as I love being a police officer for the Chicago police department, it's days like these that make me really hate what I do. This job is not for the feint at heart. Chicago can be a harsh, cruel city and defending it is often trying. Officer Taylor McBath took that challenge on wholeheartedly and was never without a smile or positive word. I can recall several instances where she'd pull a grieving mother, father, for child aside and hug them. Even in dire moments, she had this knack for finding the silver lining. I remember her first shift at the district. It was a busy Fourth of July weekend and I had the privilege of working a beat with her. She was so green, so full of life. I warned her that that bubbly, personable attitude wouldn't work out there. You've got to be tough sometimes and saying please with a smile wasn't going to cut it. She responded with this: 'Sarge, if I'm not nice and respectful to the people of this city, how can I expect them to treat me, and the police, with the same principles? In order for us to see change in this city, we must be willing to change ourselves first.'" Trudy looked out at her audience for a moment. It was a beautiful and heartbreaking sight. Some were smiling through tears while others were lost in thought. She wished these weren't the only occasions that everyone gathered for. She returned to her speech, trying her best to fight off tears.

"Officer McBath was a bright light in this world that was quickly and tragically snuffed out. In a time of panic and danger, she didn't flee or give up. Till the very end, she had this glow, this peace about her. She knew who she was and she loved her life. I can say with certainty that she left the 21st district better than she found it. I will miss her. We all will miss her. Her commitment to the force will have a lasting impact on everyone who walks through those doors." Trudy gestured to the crowd, nods confirming her statement. She turned her attention to the family members in the front row.

"McBath family and friends. Thank you for allowing us to share your Taylor. We know the sacrifice and sleepless nights you must have had and we are eternally grateful for your service to this city. We are all mourning with you today. We are here for you. Thank you." Trudy quietly returned to her seat next to Voight. As the crowd stood and listened to the twenty-one gun salute, Trudy whispered.

"Hank, I don't care what rules you have to bend. You're to find Ray and put him in the ground. That crook doesn't deserve to breathe." Without breaking his focus, Hank curtly nodded. He had every intention of making good on the request.

…

It was such a weird day, filled with a plethora of mixed emotions. On the same day they laid one of their own to rest, two of their people were getting their second chance at living. Jay and Adam's release from the hospital coincidently aligned with the funeral date. It was their goal to get out before then but, as recovery goes, some days were good and others were bad. Both guys had rough pain days three days ago, pushing their discharge back a few days. The plan was attending the funeral first and then head over to the hospital to collect the duo. With the plan in place, everyone was collectively happy to have that joyous moment to look forward. The journey from the cemetery was silent. Each person attempting to process everything.

Meanwhile, Jay and Adam were having a whale of a time preparing for discharge. Jay was unable to dress his top half while Adam couldn't bend over to dress his bottom half. Shoes were a definite no. Their attempt at helping each other dress became a fun challenge. It was embarrassing and humorous watching one help the other before bursting into tears of laughter. However, their laughter quickly faded when the nurses came in to remove IV ports. Both Adam and Jay were brought back to the time that Intelligence was required to get tasered. It was all fun and games till the painful act turned towards them.

"Oh my word, you're such a child. There's no way the pain matches your facial expression." Adam was cracking up while Jay's central line was getting removed. Jay had his eyes closed and face scrunched, death gripping the bed during the whole removal.

"Just wait. You're time is coming." And of course, Jay was right. Their roles were soon reversed. Adam squealed with pain while Jay Cheshire grinned. Payback is so sweet. Their rescue party arrived as the final bandage was being placed on Jay's arm. The giddy mood in the room turned quiet.

"Hey, how was it?" Will inspected his brother's dressing skills, or lack thereof, and went about finishing the buttons on Jay's shirt.

"It was good. There were a ton of people there and Trudy gave a great speech. Kinda wish I'd met officer Taylor. She sounded amazing." As he did the buttons, Will took in the number of bandages speckling his brother's body. Each a visual reminder of how hard Jay had to fight that night. The scars would fade with time, but the mental ones would stay with Will forever. More than anything, he wanted to hug Jay; thanking him for being a stubborn SOB. On a lighter note, he looked like a kid that went nuts with band-aids. The two brother's nodded at each other. They didn't need to say anything. But understood what the other meant: thank you and you're welcome. Kim stood in the doorway, scanning Adam's lack of clothing.

"When did pants become optional?"

"It's a long story." She helped him with the remaining articles of clothing and finished packing his bag. Rhodes made his final entrance with clipboards in hand.

"Discharge papers. But first, post-op instructions. Jay, you're required to be on bed rest for the next four weeks. No lifting of anything till the sternum refuses. Also, take your pain meds every four hours as long as the pain persists. You'll be on the narcotics for another two weeks and then rely on over the counter drugs. Here is your script for the pain meds. You'll need a follow up visit with me in a week to check on everything. Finally, no working out till everything has healed. You still have some arrhythmias so you have to still take it easy. Here's a pen, sign on the bottom line."

"Adam, you're instructed to stay home for the next three weeks. You also cannot lift anything heavy till all incisions are healed. Also, no exercising till approved by a pulmonologist. Here is your script for pain meds. Take them every four hours as long as the pain persists. You'll need to schedule a follow up visit in about a week. Here's a pen, sign on the bottom line." Both men quickly did so and nearly thrusted the boards back at Rhodes. Thank yous were exchanged and a farewell wave was given. Conner Rhodes departed in a grand, somewhat arrogant, manner. Adam was gingerly helped by Kim and the two of them headed for the elevator. Will was about to assist Jay when they noticed Hailey standing in the doorway. This was the first time she ventured into Jay's room.

"Hey."

"Um, hi." Jay hesitated to speak and Will got the message.

"I'll go bring this stuff down. You ok to wait here?" Jay nodded and Will scooted out of the room. Hailey situated herself on Jay's bed, both of them hanging their feet off the edge.

"Jay, I'm sorry I wasn't here for all this."

"Hey, I get it. What happened was…"

"-Terrifying?!"

"I was going to say intense, but terrifying fits as well." Jay smirked at her while she adjusted her weight on the bed.

"Do you remember the day your Dad died?"

"Pretty vividly."

"Well, seeing you in that gutter, shot, it scared the crap out of me. I honestly thought you were dead." Jay slightly hung his head, nodding while she spoke.

"I just, I couldn't go through that again. I couldn't see you like that. Especially in a much worse situation. We're partners, we supposed to have each other's backs and you went down, I felt like I didn't do my job." The two of them sat their for a moment in silence. Jay picked at the bandaid on his arm before speaking.

"As partners, we're supposed communicate these things to each other. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. But I'm ok, everyone is ok. There was nothing you could've done to prevent that day. Don't beat yourself over things that you out of your control. Take it from me, that mindset leads you nowhere." Their eyes met and both smiled.

"You're good?"

"Yeah."

"Hey kids, you ready to leave," Will asked? Hailey and Will gently helped Jay get upright and walked him to elevator. The realization struck Will as the three of rode down to the ED. This was same elevator Jay traveled on two weeks ago. Will's prayer had been answered, Jay made it back on the elevator alive. Will silently thanked God for the miracle that was Jay Halstead.

The ride over to Voight's house was an interesting one. Every bump and pothole was met with a gasp and curse from Jay. It was like riding with an elderly person. It got to the point where Will would slow down to a crawl, letting the car barely push itself over the chunk of missing road. It didn't take long for form a honking line behind him. Will turned redder with every blaring car horn, Jay and Hailey laughed harder. Twenty minutes later, the Halsteads and Hailey arrived at their destination. Will knew he wouldn't be able to keep Jay away from the case so the two of them reached a compromise: Jay could help so long as Will was present. Plus, Will played a role in this operation and he wanted to see it through. Adam and Kim had gone ahead of them and Adam was being helped out of the car when Will pulled up.

"No one is to know about that. I would like to keep some amount of dignity," Adam stated as they walked up to Voight's door. It was strange being back together. Their moment in Voight's living room was the first time they'd all been together since the attack. That day felt like it was years ago. Each person had changed since that day. They'd all been through varying degrees of hell and yet, here they were. Battered, bruised, physically alerted, but they all made it and were whole once again. It was like the end of an action movie where the heroes gather together and stand on a hill and take in all they'd accomplished. Whatever they just went through nearly got them, but tenacity and determination emerged victorious.

Adam and Jay took in the numerous computers, a whiteboard, and take out containers scattered around the house. Ah, the signs of working a tough case. It was evident no one was getting much rest these days. Jay tried his best to fall back into the swings of things, even if sitting on Voight's couch was painful.

"What've we got?" Atwater hand him and Adam a thin case file.

"Ray is no longer at his house. When we went back, the whole place cleared out and scrubbed clean. We knocked on neighbor's doors and got nothing. They either didn't see anything or didn't notice Ray leaving."

"Which is a total farce. Probably scared to say anything," Adam added.

"Exactly. We were able to pull his financials and he's cleared out all his accounts. He transferred the funds to a bank in the Caymans so.."

"-They're untraceable," Jay interrupted.

"Unfortunately. We've contacted any know C.I.s that have a connection to Ray all of them have said the same thing: they heard a rumor about Ray wanting to 'make the rats pay,' but that's it. The attack seemed to remain between Ray and his sons."

"What about the crew that attacked the precinct?" Kim answered that one.

"We were able to pull footage from the district and were able to get facial recognition on one of them: Jeff Romano. He's the perp that shot officer McBath. According to his rap sheet and C.I.s, he met Ray's other son, Rick, in prison a few years ago. When he was released, Ray took Jeff under his wing, bringing him up the ranks in his mob. Jeff became a third son to Ray." Kim handed Adam and Jay a freeze frame of the camera that caught Jeff's face.

"Did officer McBath pull his mask off?"

"Partially, yes. It was during her struggle with him."

"Good girl." The room fell quiet. In her final moments, McBath put the case in front of her own well being. She knew she wouldn't come out of that struggle alive. And yet, she found a way to help those left behind find her killer. What an act of courage.

"So aside from knowing Burke isn't at his house, we have nothing else," Jay questioned?

"Yes," Voight said. The members of Intelligence glanced around at their teammates, understanding the mission in front of them. This wasn't the first time they'd been outsmarted by their opponent this early into a case. Nor was it the first instance where they had nothing to go on. But this what they thrived on. It was their specialty: pulling evidence out of the smallest crevices. Ray may have weaseled his way out of their grasp for now. But there wasn't a scenario that had him evading his coming doom. Ray went after them and claimed one of their own. This was personal now. Best of luck to those standing in Intelligence's way.

"So, what are we waiting for? Let's get at it."

…

"Jay. Hey man, wake up. We're home." Will gently shook Jay's shoulder, causing him to jump. It was nearing midnight now and everything was quiet. During the night, Will couldn't help but notice Jay's fight with pain and sleep. He did a good job hiding it, but Will knew the signs. He was proud and equally upset. Proud that Jay wanted to see justice prevail but upset that he still didn't accept that his body was recovering from a major trauma. It was the first day out of the hospital and Jay really pushed himself to the limit. The fact it only took Will pestering Jay once about rest was telling: Jay was exhausted. Jay made it to the car before admitting how bad the pain was. His whole body was shaking and he would loudly inhale and exhale. For the umpteenth time, Will lectured Jay about managing his pain and limitations while Jay quietly swallowed a pain pill before resting his head against the car window. He was out before they made the first turn to Will's place.

People only envision cities as crowded, perpetually bustling, concrete civilizations. While that was certainly true, people often forget the time of day when everyone and everything goes to sleep. A city takes on a whole new persona. The buildings are still just as tall and magnificent, but everything below lowered to a hush. Car horns were nonexistent and the sidewalks were relatively empty. The street lights felt dimmed and traffic lights silently changed colors. It was as if the city was trying to tiptoe around sleeping people. He didn't get to experience this drive often, but Will loved it. Despite the numerous people, life styles, and backgrounds, everyone operated on the same internal clock. It was a stunning reminder that while we all may think we're different, in actuality, we all operate as one massive body. Will reached back to get Jay's and his' bags while Jay half-consciously blinked his eyes. The calming aspect of the drugs still strong in his system. He unbuckled his seat and opened the passenger door, waiting for Will's assistance. Will noticed the seat belt impression on Jay's face as they rode the elevator to his apartment. Jay just shrugged it off, he was so out of it he probably wouldn't have noticed if he wasn't wearing shoes. Will jiggled the key in his lock and flung the door open, ushering Jay in first.

"How long do I have to stay here," Jay asked?

"Just for a couple of weeks. You're going to need help moving around, remember?" Jay nodded.

"Plus, I don't mind having the company. It'll be fun! It'll be like old times."

"You may not mind the company," Jay retorted. Will gave him a face before reaching into the freezer for a beer; glass of water for Jay.

"Will, you've gotta stop doing that. You ruin a perfectly good beer when you freeze it."

"What are you, the beer police? I forget this morning, ok?! Plus, I don't mind the icy chunks." Jay shrugged before shuffling to Will's guest room. Once in the bathroom, Jay undid the buttons of his shirt and stared in the mirror for a few minutes, taking his reflection in. While inspecting the incision sites and bruises, a thought struck him: he should've died that night. People aren't supposed to survive attacks like that. Yet somehow, by some minor miracle, he here was. He felt incredibly lucky and fortunate. So many things had to go right for him to be here that didn't go as hoped for others. A mixed case of emotions indeed. Will helped him wash up and get settled in bed. Jay was silent the entire time, willingly taking the pills and water handed to him.

"You ok, man," Will asked? Jay only nodded. Will didn't want to press harder so he turned around and headed for the door. The door was halfway closed when Jay muttered something.

"We're never going to find him are we. Ray?" Will stood there for a moment before answering.

"I don't know." The room was dark but Will detected small sniffs.

"I do know if there's anyone who can pull it off, it's you guys."

"He's not getting away with this. He can't. I'm sorry you got pulled into all of this."

"Jay, I'm the one that agreed to do it. The past is just that, the past." Jay nodded again while fiddling with the sheets.

"Get some sleep. You need it. Good night, Jay. Love you."

"Love you too. Thanks Will."

"Anytime."

 **How's everyone doing? I hope you enjoyed this one as we went through a lot of emotional changes. I really wanted to document the raw, heartfelt side of this case before wrapping everything up. Thanks for reading!**


	6. Epilogue

Epilogue

 **Final chapter of The Mighty Fall; it's a little bittersweet. Loved writing this little story but it's time has come. Thank you to all for coming along this journey with me. I'm extremely appreciative for your feedback and excitement. Your sweet comments are what kept me pushing to write. I hope you enjoy this final piece to the puzzle. Now, let's dig in one final time.**

"We're in position," Jay spoke on the radio.

"10-4. You get your shot and you take it," Voight replied. Jay took a breath before assuming his normal sniper position. Lying flat on his stomach was still slightly painful and made him sore. Now wasn't the time to focus on the discomfort. That could happen once the mission was complete. It's been a long, emotional eleven weeks since the attack but they were worth it. Fingers crossed, all their long days and nights, constant digging and prying, and stress was about to pay off. The journey getting to this point was trying and often frustrating. Ray Burke pulled a classic attack and run for the hills manuever. His hiding skills were so advanced and sophisticated, you'd have never known Ray Burke lived in Chicago for most of his life. Bank accounts were drained. Cell phones records suddenly stopped. Even the cars he drove were either burned or vanished; probably dumped in the lake or river. Perhaps the oddest thing about the whole case was that Ray never attempted to go after Jay, Will, or any other members of Intelligence. For the first two weeks after Jay and Adam were released, everyone was under constant police protection. The Halsteads kind of hated it. They couldn't get a coffee without having to clear it with their detail. After a month of silence and zero threats, the decision was made to pull security and see what would happen; which nothing did. If Ray's objective was to make Intelligence constantly look over their shoulders, then mission accomplished.

Recovering while working on the case was tiresome for all. Those whose injuries were less severe were allowed to return to work two weeks after Adam and Jay were released from the hospital. Jay and Adam were given the go-ahead last week. Early on, the unit would gather at Will's place, Adam's place, or Voight's house, depending on who needed the rest more that day. Both Adam and Jay made a point of driving everyone mad with their inability to take things easy. Whether it was avoiding the necessary drugs or skipping sleep, the two of them were like dealing with small children. It was after Will went back to work and Kim and Hailey took over their care that their childish ways ended. The first hint of pain or tiredness was met with stern glares and points towards a room. Pills were distributed at the sounding of alarms. It was weird sleeping at someone else's place, but they willingly did it. Whatever it took to get things back to normal.

The district was reopened three weeks ago. The first day was rough, emotionally. While the items inside the building remained the same, it was the people that were different. There was this presence of sorrow. Like someone's who been through a life altering event and made it out the other side. While there was happiness, there was an ever present twinge of sadness. Sadness for the unspoken truth that things were never going to completely go back to normal. The mood was quiet and tense. Prior to the doors reopening, Trudy had worked with the Ivory Tower to get a plaque made for officer McBath, featuring her quote. Now whenever people walked through the doors, they were greeted with a challenge: leave the world better than you found it. The reveal ceremony was both quick and long-lasting, a somber reminder of the tragedy of what they lost that day. Furthermore, it their way of thanking her for the ultimate sacrifice.

Naturally, retuning to the office was difficult for Intelligence. Voight shrugged everything off while the rest of them walked around the new, updated place with heavy hearts and visual emotions. Correction, everyone but Jay showed their emotions. He held everything in till he made it back to his place. Will won't forget the tearful phone call he got from Jay. It was the first time in awhile he'd heard his brother that upset. He wasn't sure if Jay wanted to speak to Will or just vent. No matter the reason, he was a listening ear on the other end, offering reassurance when his moment to speak arrived. Jay has been meeting with Dr. Charles for weeks now, helping him understand what he went through that day and becoming at peace with everything. I am happy to report that Jay willingly shows up to work now without any dread. And now, back to the case.

Resources had run dry. Despite their endless pursuit of neighbors, former acquaintances, and paper trails, they had nothing. It was all but official that Ray had set up shop in some other town. There were a couple of times that they strongly considered handing the case off. The city of Chicago never waits for Intelligence to solve a case before handing them another one. Just imagine the mountain of casework that stacked up. A threatening visit from an Ivory Tower spokesperson nearly broke out in a fight. Despite the lack of, well, anything, they refused to give up. And then one day, about two weeks ago, a break, a weak moment was discovered. Jay had been holding his 'get out of jail' card for years, waiting for the opportune moment to flash it out. He was vague about how he got the intel, but they didn't care at that point. Jay swore it was legit and solid, making it good enough for everyone. In actuality, Jay reached out to Mouse who reached out to their former commander who owed them for something in Afghanistan. Mouse got his hands on some military level software and was able to track down Jeff Romano, the head muscle of the operation. Jeff slipped up but by purchasing a burner phone from a convenient store across from an ATM with a camera. Using his photo, Mouse was able track Romano on traffic light cameras and tracked him to an industrial park west of the city. Ray never left town. While it was just a general vicinity, it's all they needed to track Ray down. After days of stakeouts, heat runs, and setting up surveillance, they had confirmation Ray was there. He rarely left the building and, by the looks of the place, it appeared that he had been hiding out there for awhile. Furthermore, they learned Ray was about to make a huge drug deal with a know, wanted drug distributor. The plan was put in place. Jay would take out Ray and Romano from a sniper perch, the rest of the team coming in to arrest the remaining criminals. Cut off the head of the operation, capture the tail. The plan was intricate but solid. Everything they pushed and fought for was about to pay off. Now comes the waiting game.

The takedown's locations was situated at an interaction of four abandoned warehouses. Jay and Hailey were on the roof of the building facing north of Ray's location, shielded by a brick border with square holes around the bottom of the wall. It was the ideal sniper hideout. The rest of Intelligence and police officers from the 21st were scattered in and around the remaining warehouses. Once Jay took Ray and Romano out, they'd handle the rest. Ray and his crew wasn't going to be able to escape them today. Hailey was Jay's spotter, using a scope to zero in on the target and reading him distances. All Jay had to do was identify, point, and take his targets out. They'd been in their perch for half an hour before the sound of several cars roared up the road.

"Got four black SUVs coming up the street; west, northwest of us. They're about half a mile out." Jay flicked his weapon's safety off and peered into the scope on his gun."

"Got them."

"Get ready guys, they're pulling up in a second."

"10-4, wait till they get out of the car before firing."

"Copy." Jay began his breathing technique. Firing from this far away took absolute calm and focus. Any twitch or heavy breath could skew the bullet's trajectory. The four cars came to a halt in the middle of the intersection. Romano was the first to emerge, inspecting the area before opening the door for Ray. Seeing Ray for the first time made Hailey quietly gasp. Jay swallowed all emotions in that second, becoming robotic almost.

"Got a shot."

"Take it," Voight spoke over the radio. Jay calmly placed his finger on the trigger, inhaled, squeezed, and released. Ray was dead before he reached the ground. Jay exhaled and quickly released the bullet's cartridge. It pinged off the ground as Jay pulled back on the bolt to send another bullet into the chamber. By now chaos was ensuing below. Jay had to anticipate Romano's movement before firing. He found his spot and repeated the process. Finger on the trigger, inhale, squeeze, release. Milliseconds later Romano was lying on the ground next to his boss, bleeding out from a bullet hole between his eyes.

"Targets are down, go guys," Hailey barked on the radio. The chaos only became louder. Those still alive drew their weapons for a moment, ready to make it a show. However, as the police presence grew deeper, they placed their guns on the ground and threw their arms up in surrender. Jay didn't pay much attention as he packed everything up and hurried down the stairs, still in that robotic mode. A few minutes, the team gathered around the two bodies as police sirens wailed, the yellow tape being rolled out. Voight stood over the body for a moment before walking away, patting Jay on the shoulder on his way out. Atwater offered a fist for Jay to bump.

"Nice shooting, Jay." A reciprocated bump and nod were the only response.

"Intentional or coincidently placement," Adam asked as they inspected the bullet wound in Ray's center mass.

"Had to make sure he didn't get back up," was Jay's response.

"Uh huh, sure," Antonio smirked. Jay excused himself and headed for the truck. His hands were seriously shaking and his whole body felt drained. It was finished. This horrible story finally had its' conclusion. They were free again. Jay pulled off his vest and threw it on the passenger seat before climbing in to the driver's seat and closing the door. Everything came flooding back. The pain, the fear, the surgeries, the recovery, the physical alterations, the loss they all went through that day. In an instant, the weight of the last months were lifted off his shoulders. He'd never felt more relived. This chapter of his life story was done. All that lay in front of him was a blank page, waiting to unite with the next adventure. The darkness of that day showed how evil the world can be sometimes. However, that wasn't the end of their story. As does happen in any quality story, good finally found a way to overcome. It nearly consumed them, but it didn't break them. As long as this team was existing, there was hope. Hope for a brighter, safer tomorrow. So Jay put his head in his hands and cried tears of happiness and sadness. Mourning for the one that wasn't here today. Happy for the opportunity to play a role in this episode.

Soon the tears ceased and Jay collected himself; wiping his eyes and blowing his nose. There was one final thing he needed to do. A phone call that had to be made.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Um…I just wanted to tell you that Ray's dead." Will let a moment of silence go by.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah…I don't know. I'm not really sure how I feel about it. It's all over." Will couldn't help but detect the shakiness in Jay's voice. He wished he could give Jay a hug.

"Give it time, you'll figure it out. Thanks for letting me know, Jay. Proud of you."

"For what?"

"For not giving up." Oh, what a loaded statement that was.

"Are we still on for tonight?"

"Definitely! How weird is it that we both have a Friday night off?!"

"Yeah, it's crazy how that works out sometimes. I'll see you soon." Jay pressed the phone's red button and sat back. What lied ahead was unknown and, for the first time in forever, Jay didn't mind that.

 _Screen fades to black. End credits roll._


End file.
